The present invention relates to essential hypertension, and more particularly to the use of genetic markers in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to this disease.
Essential hypertension, or high blood pressure of unknown cause, is a disease that affects 25-30% of Caucasians in The United States. Left untreated, hypertension leads to heart disease, stroke, myocardial infarction, and end-stage kidney disease. Since hypertension patients do not generally feel sick, it is often undiagnosed and left untreated until end organ failure has begun. Thus hypertension is the leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in humans. Many hypertensives are salt sensitive in that a high salt diet will cause an elevation in blood pressure or exacerbate an already elevated blood pressure. Finding a measure for the propensity to develop high blood pressure could have a significant impact on reducing cardiovascular disease.
It has been estimated that genetic factors account for 30-40% of blood pressure variability in humans (Ward, In Hypertension: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Management, Laragh J H. and Brenner B M eds., (Raven Press, Ltd., New York, N.Y.), 81-100 (1990).) However, other estimates have suggested that genetic heritability of hypertension may be as high as 80% with 40% accounted for by one major gene (Cavalli, et al. In The Genetics of Human Population, (WH Freeman Co., South San Francisco, Calif.) 534-536 (1971)). The single major gene could effect blood pressure to such a significant extent that it would dominate many other genes that play a minor role in blood pressure control.
The central role of the kidneys in the genesis and maintenance of hypertension has been well established. When normal kidneys are transplanted into hypertensive rats, their blood pressure is normalized. On the other hand, when kidneys from hypertensive rats are transplanted into normotensive rats, they develop hypertension. Thus hypertension seems to follow the kidneys. It is also known that most human genetic forms of hypertension are associated with enhanced reabsorption of sodium in the kidney. Although there are many hormonal systems that regulate renal sodium excretion and blood pressure, the renal paracrine function of dopamine is well established as an important mechanism in long-term blood pressure regulation. The increased avidity of the renal proximal tubule for sodium in hypertension may be caused by defective renal paracrine action of dopamine. Dopamine causes a decrease in sodium reabsorption. Thus a defect in the action of dopamine would lead to an increase in sodium reabsorption and hypertension.
Dopamine exerts its actions via a class of cell surface receptors that belong to the rhodopsin-like family of G protein coupled receptors; these receptors have in common 7 trans-membrane domains. The dopamine receptors in the CNS and some endocrine organs are grouped into two major classes, the D1-like and the D2-like receptors. In the kidney and other organs outside the CNS, the D1-like receptors have been called DA1 receptors while the D2-like receptors have been called DA2 receptors. These distinctions are probably no longer necessary since no dopamine receptor is expressed exclusively inside or outside the CNS. However, there is differential regulation of the D1 receptor in neural and renal tissue. The two exons of the D1 receptor gene are transcribed in neural tissue while only the second exon is transcribed in renal tissue. The differential expression of the short and long D1 transcript may be due to tissue-specific expression of an activator protein driving transcription from a promoter at the 5xe2x80x2 non-coding region of the D1 receptor gene. Each of the D2-like dopamine receptor subtypes has several isoforms. However, no particular isoform is specifically expressed in peripheral tissues. See, Jose et. al., Pharmac. Ther. 80:149-182 (1998).
Two D1-like receptors are expressed in mammals: the D1 and D5 receptors which are known as D1A and D1B in rodents, respectively. Two additional D1-like receptors, D1C and D1D, are expressed in non-mammalian species. The D1-like receptors are linked to stimulation of adenylyl cyclase. The D1A receptor also stimulates phospholipase C activity, but this is secondary to stimulation of adenylyl cyclase. There seems to be a D1-like receptor, that is, as yet uncloned, linked to phospholipase C (PLC), through a pertussis toxin insensitive G-protein, Gq, that is distinct from the D1 and D5 receptor (Jose et al., Pharmac. Ther 80:149-182 (1998)). Three D2-like receptors are expressed in mammals: the D2, D3, and D4 receptors. The D2-like receptors are linked to inhibition of adenylyl cyclase and Ca2+ channels. The D2-like receptors also stimulate K+ channels although the D2 and D3 receptors have been reported to decrease voltage dependent potassium current in NG108-15 cells. Both the D2 and D3 receptors present in presynaptic nerves may also serve to decrease the release of both dopamine and norepinephrine.
All the mammalian dopamine receptors, initially cloned from the brain, have been found to be expressed in the kidney and urinary tract. Dopamine receptor subtypes are differentially expressed along the renal vasculature, the glomerulus, and the renal tubule where they regulate renal hemodynamics and electrolyte and water transport as well as renin secretion. Exogenous dopamine, at low doses, decreases renal vascular resistance and increases renal blood flow but with variable effects on glomerular filtration rate. Additional renal effects include an increase in solute and water excretion caused by hemodynamic and tubular mechanisms. The ability of renal proximal tubules to produce dopamine and the presence of receptors in these tubules suggest that dopamine can act in an autocrine or paracrine fashion. Endogenous renal dopamine increases solute and water excretion by actions at several nephron segments (proximal tubule, medullary thick ascending limb of Henle (mTAL), cortical collecting duct (CCD)). The magnitude of the inhibitory effect of dopamine on each nephron segment is modest but the multiple sites of action along the nephron cause impressive increases in solute and water excretion. The renal effects of dopamine are most apparent under conditions of solute (e.g., sodium, phosphate) or protein load. D1-like receptors, probably of the D1 subtype, vasodilate the kidney, inhibit sodium transport in proximal tubules by inhibition of sodium/hydrogen exchanger activity at the luminal membrane and sodium/potassium ATPase activity at the basolateral membrane. D1-like receptors also decrease sodium transport in the mTAL and in the CCD. The major functional D1-like receptor in the kidney is the D1 receptor. Presynaptic D2-like receptors are also vasodilatory. Postsynaptic D2-like receptors, by themselves, stimulate renal proximal sodium transport and inhibit the action of vasopressin at the CCD. However, in concert with D1-like receptors, postsynaptic D2-like receptors may act synergistically to inhibit sodium transport in the renal proximal tubule. The major D2-like receptor in the proximal tubule is the D3 receptor while the major D2-like receptor in the CCD is the D4 receptor. The ability of postsynaptic D2-like receptors, probably of the D3 subtype, to inhibit renin secretion may counteract the stimulatory effect of D1-like receptors on renin secretion and contribute to their synergistic action to increase sodium excretion in sodium replete states (Jose et al., supra).
In conclusion, although many years of intensive effort have revealed much about the etiology of essential hypertension, a single major gene that controls blood pressure has not been found. Thus the discovery of a major gene associated with blood pressure regulation would be important for understanding the mechanisms causing essential hypertension and lead to important new diagnostics and therapeutics.
Kinases are enzymes that catalyze the addition of a phosphate group onto proteins. G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs) are a family of protein kinases that phosphorylate G protein-coupled receptor proteins: on serine and threonine residues. GRKs, along with other proteins called arrestins, mediate homologous desensitization of hormonal responses. See, Premont, et al., FASEB J. 9:175-182 (1995). Six GRKs have been identified, i.e., GRK1-GRK6. See, Premont, et al., supra.; Palczewski, Protein Sci. 3:1355-1361 (1994); and Inglese, et al., J. Biol. Chem. 268:23735-23738 (1993). GRK4 had been the least well-understood member of the GRK family. Premont et al., J. Biol. Chem. 271:6403-6410 (1996), determined its presence substantially in testis, and thus is the least distributed of any GRK except GRK1. Although the Premont publication acknowledges that it was not known as to which specific type of testis cell expressed GRK4, it speculates that GRK4 could bind to any one of a number of receptors, including the LH/CG receptor, the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor, and follicle-stimulating hormone receptor and a variety of olfactory receptors. Later, Gros, J. Clin. Invest. 99(9):2087-2093 (1997), implicated GRK2 activity in reduced adenylyl cyclase activation in lymphocytes from hypertensive individuals. Gros also observed that the increase in GRK activity was associated exclusively with an increase in GRK2 expression, and that the activity of other GRKs was not altered.
Applicants have made several important discoveries. First, GRK4 isoform expression occurs to a significant extent in the kidney, and specifically in renal proximal tubule and cortical collecting duct cells. Second, Applicants discovered that several known polymorphic forms of GRK4, and three more previously unknown polymorphs, are prevalent in hypertensive individuals. Third, the D1 receptor/adenylyl cyclase coupling defect in renal proximal tubule cells known to be associated with essential hypertensive individuals is associated with but not limited to hyperphosphorylation of the D1 receptor.
Commercial embodiments of Applicants"" invention fall into three primary areas, namely diagnostics, drug discovery and therapy. Accordingly, a first aspect of the present invention is directed to methods for identifying individuals predisposed to essential hypertension. The methods can be conducted using a sample of kidney cells that express a D1 receptor and GRK4, isolated from the individual, wherein the cells are assayed to determine the extent of post-translational modification of the D1 receptor, such as phosphorylation or palmitoylation, wherein a change in the post-translational modification of the receptor relative to cells isolated from a normotensive individual is indicative of predisposition to essential hypertension. Alternatively, a nucleic acid sample is isolated from the individual in order to analyze a GRK4 gene or fragment thereof to detect GRK4 associated with essential hypertension. Specific mutants that applicants have identified as being associated with essential hypertension include the following: R65L, A142V, A486V, the two double mutants R65L, A486V, and R65L, A142V, and the triple mutant R65L, A142V, A486V. Identifying yet other mutant GRK4s associated with essential hypertension can be conducted simply by analyzing GRK4 genes isolated from individuals diagnosed with essential hypertension, and analyzing the sequence of the GRK4 gene. The applicants further demonstrated that expression of these GRK4s in non-renal cells cause these non-renal cells to fail to xe2x80x9cproperlyxe2x80x9d (e.g., normally) transduce a dopaminergic signal.
A related aspect of the present invention is directed to isolated and purified nucleic acids encoding a GRK4 protein having an R65L, A142V double mutation, an R65L, A486V double mutation, or an R65L, A142V, A486V triple mutation. Oligonucleotides which specifically hybridize to GRK4 gene fragments containing the aforementioned mutations are also disclosed. Further disclosed are oligonucleotide primers, or primer pairs, which hybridize to fragments of the GRK4 gene containing a mutation associated with essential hypertension. Preferred primers which specifically hybridize to exon 3, 5, 8, 14 or 16 of a GRK4 gene and which is useful in amplifying DNA sequences including nucleotides 431-503 (exon 3), 594-697 (exon 5), 857-995 (exon 8), 1662-1798 (exon 14) or 1937-1991 (exon 16) of the GRK4 gene.
Another aspect of the present invention is related to various systems in which to test substances for anti-hypertensive activity by their ability to effect a change in GRK4 conformation and/or activity. These systems range from complexes between a GRK4 protein, e.g., wild-type or an isoform or mutant that is associated with essential hypertension, and an agent that causes a conformational change of the GRK4 protein upon interaction with an anti-hypertensive agent to be detected, to reconstituted systems containing GRK4 and a GRK4 substrate. Any system in which the interaction between GRK4 and a GRK4 substrate can be measured can be used to screen for potential anti-hypertensive agents. Thus, the systems range from cell-like parts such as an artificial membrane, e.g., lipid micelle, to whole cells. Preferred whole cells include cells transfected with a D1 receptor gene (or a functional fragment thereof) and a wild-type or mutant GRK4 gene, and immortalized human proximal tubule cells. Changes in GRK4 activity that occur in these various systems can be detected by measuring pertubations in cell activity such as any second messenger component or endpoint such as (but not limited to) cAMP generated by adenylyl cyclase, G protein activity, sodium transporter or pump activity, and post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation and palmitoylation. In vivo systems such as transgenic animals containing a transgene encoding a GRK4 protein associated with essential hypertension, wherein the transgene is expressed in renal cells to cause the transgenic animal to exhibit a state of essential hypertension, are also disclosed.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is directed to methods for decreasing sodium transport (increasing natriuresis) in renal proximal tubule cells in vitro or in vivo. The basic objectives of these therapeutic applications are to change GRK4 activity. One preferred method involves administration of an agent or agents that reduce or prevent expression of the GRK4s in renal cells of the hypertensive individual. GRK4 mRNA or DNA can be attacked with oligonucleotides such as antisense RNA or dominant negative mutants that prevent transcription or translation. Ribozymes that cleave GRK4 mRNA or pre-mRNA are also useful. Other therapeutic applications include drugs that alter e.g., inhibit or enhance, the activity of GRK4 (either inhibition or stimulation).